Education Mexico Project #63692

Strengthen Education for Whale Sharks Conservation

by Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan A.C.

Strengthen Education for Whale Sharks Conservation

Project Report | Oct 21, 2026
It was not just another whale shark season

By Emanuel Mimila Herrera | Project Leader

Local guide checking if it is a female or a male

Another whale shark watching season in the Mexican Caribbean has come to an end, but this was no ordinary season. Thanks to the joint efforts of communities, organizations, and institutions committed to conserving this species and its habitat, we recorded some of the most optimistic results of the last few years.

Between June and September, we conducted six boat surveys to monitor whale sharks and the conditions of their habitat. We recorded an average of 35 whale sharks per survey, a figure similar to last year. However, in July, we observed an exceptional event: 110 whale sharks feeding at the sea's surface! A gathering of this magnitude had not been recorded since 2020.

And the findings don't stop there. After collecting whale sharks' food samples and analyzing them in the laboratory, we found that zooplankton availability was among the highest recorded since 2017. In addition, sea surface temperatures did not reach the elevated levels observed in some previous years.

These findings are interconnected. Ocean conditions influence the availability of zooplankton, the whale shark's primary food source. When food is abundant and environmental conditions are favorable, these gentle giants can gather to feed and build up the energy they need to continue their long migrations. Researching these relationships helps us identify changes in the ecosystem and generate valuable information to guide conservation efforts.

The 2026 season was also an opportunity to strengthen our work with local communities. In each field trip, we were joined by tour guides, teachers, women entrepreneurs, hospitality workers, and students who are participating in training to become community monitors. Their participation is essential for generating knowledge, contributing to species conservation, and promoting the sustainable use of a natural resource that provides benefits and supports the livelihoods of many local families.

This year, we did not have sufficient funding to conduct aerial surveys, one of the most accurate methods for estimating whale shark abundance in the area. Even so, we made important progress, not only in monitoring the species but also in strengthening community participation.

What's next? Next year, we aim to continue building the skills of community monitors, promote citizen science initiatives, and involve children from local communities. For now, we want the next generation to learn about whale sharks, understand their importance, and actively participate in protecting the ocean that is part of their lives and their future.

To make this possible, we need your continued support. Every donation helps sustain our monitoring efforts, strengthen local knowledge, and create new opportunities for more people to participate in conservation.

Whale sharks are a treasure, and protecting them is everyone's responsibility.

Whale shark area called "El verde" near Contoy Isl

Whale shark area called "El Azul", Mexican Car.

Training for whale shark food sample collection

The group of citizen scientists from Holbox

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Jun 23, 2026
The Constellation of the Mexican Caribbean

By Emanuel Mimila Herrera | Project Leader

21 Years of Learning, One Book to Share

Hello everyone!

We are excited to share with you that after 21 years of research, community work, and conservation efforts, we officially presented our book, Whale Shark: The Constellation of the Mexican Caribbean, in April 2026.

For years, we collected field notes, photographs, scientific publications, monitoring records, and countless hours of observations of these gentle giants. Over time, we dreamed of bringing all that knowledge together into a resource that could serve local communities, tour guides, students, and anyone interested in learning about and protecting whale sharks. Today, that dream has become a reality.

This publication is the first book in Spanish dedicated entirely to whale sharks. It brings together information about their biology, fascinating facts about their behavior, and some of the most recent discoveries from around the world. More importantly, it represents more than two decades of work carried out alongside local communities, tourism operators, authorities, students, researchers, funders, and allies who have believed in the importance of conserving this iconic species of the Mexican Caribbean.

Originally, we envisioned the book as a practical tool for guides and captains working with whale sharks, helping them share reliable information with visitors and promote environmentally responsible tourism. However, it became much more than that. We believe anyone who loves the ocean, wildlife, or conservation stories will find inspiration in its pages.

None of this would have been possible without you. Your support has not only helped us share 21 years of knowledge through this book, but it has also allowed us to continue strengthening local capacity for whale shark conservation and sustainable tourism. In the last few months, we conducted two training workshops, providing 34 hours of theoretical and practical instruction to 37 young people who aspire to become whale shark guides. In addition, we trained 17 community members—including teachers, entrepreneurs, students, hotel staff, and local guides—in monitoring techniques and citizen science, because conservation begins in local communities.

But why is the book called “The Constellation of the Mexican Caribbean”?

The spots covering a whale shark’s skin form unique patterns that resemble the constellations we see in the night sky. These patterns allow scientists to identify each individual whale shark, as if every animal carried its own signature among the stars. For us, however, the meaning goes even further. This book is also a constellation. Every scientific discovery, every photograph, every guide, captain, student, researcher, donor, and community member represents a small light that, when joined with others, helps illuminate the path toward conservation.

Twenty-one years ago, we began this journey with the desire to better understand these giants of the sea. Today, thanks to you, that knowledge has become a tool for educating, inspiring, and protecting the gentle whale sharks.

Thank you for being part of this constellation.

Captains boats, allies in localities

Share knowledge is also conservation

"Teaching is learning twice"

Whale shark conservation is everyone's task

Links:

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Feb 24, 2026
One Project Ends, Another Begins

By Emanuel Mimila Herrera | Project Leader

The main character: the majestic whale shark

Hello everyone,

In 2025, we celebrated 21 years of work on conserving whale sharks and its habitat in the Mexican Caribbean. We also concluded a three-year project in which we analyzed the eggs of fish that are part of their diet. Thanks to DNA studies, we confirmed that these eggs belong to the species Euthynnus alletteratus, known locally as “bonito.” The bonito is a species of tuna with low commercial value and is mainly used as bait; however, according to local fishermen, its catch volume has decreased over time.

In addition to these fish eggs, whale sharks also feed on another kind of zooplankton and small schools of sardines that congregate in the region. During these last three years of study, we recorded unusually high sea temperatures; specifically, in 2023, the average sea temperature was almost 1°C higher than the average temperature recorded in 2005. Global warming? We don't have enough evidence to say for sure, but the reality is that we have recorded an increasing temperature trend throughout our 21 years of monitoring.

These shifts in sea temperature were mirrored by changes in food availability. In 2023, zooplankton biomass represented one of the lowest levels observed in our records, and was ten times lower than estimates for 2025. In contrast, in 2025, zooplankton biomass reached its highest level in the last five years.

2025 showed encouraging signs, not only in terms of habitat conditions (sea temperature and food availability), but also in whale shark numbers counted during boat tours with local operators, in which we observed aggregations of more than 40 whale sharks. Furthermore, during the aerial surveys conducted in 2025, we counted an average of 35 whale sharks per day, compared to an average of 15 sharks per day registered for 2023.

Regarding community strengthening, between 2023 and 2025, we participated in training 92 guides and captains in local communities, in biology and sustainable tourism, empowering them to promote best practices and serve as role models for whale shark conservation.

We have begun a new project; among other things, we will develop a regional catalog of whale sharks through photography ID, with the support of students, authorities, tourism service providers, and all of you.

Thank you for joining us over these years. Your support makes it possible to advance science, strengthen communities, and maintain the Mexican Caribbean as a global example of whale shark conservation and responsible tourism.

DNA extraction from fish eggs for species ID

Ana (student) and Axel (guide) collecting samples

Zooplankton samples analysis in the CINVESTAV lab

One of the groups of Holbox-trained guides

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